Ladies' Corner

Read back over Colossians 1:24-2:5

²⁴ Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church: ²⁵ Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; ²⁶ Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: ²⁷ To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: ²⁸ Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: ²⁹ Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. 2 For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; ² That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; ³ In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ⁴ And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. ⁵ For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.

What is your idea of a perfect day? The perfect vacation? I imagine – and I could be wrong here – but I doubt anyone says they long for tornado weather. Or jellyfish at the beach. Absolutely not! But I’m sure you’ve experienced one (or both) of these situations. In the same vein, most of us don’t want to experience difficulties in life. No one walks barefoot through the briar patch to experience the pain of thorns.

We all desire a life with fewer complications. Of course, it’s easier when our sufferings make sense. We go through the hard work of exercise, though physically uncomfortable, for a healthier body. We budget and cut expenses to live within our means or to save for large purchases. We stay up late studying to do well on an exam or project. These all have a positive and beneficial end goal. But there are other storms we don’t choose for ourselves. Unexpected storms.  The ones for which you aren’t prepared. Did you know that there are different ways trees can survive storms?

• Streamlining: Trees bend and sway to change their shape in the wind. This lowers the heavy push of the wind against the branches and trunk. 
• Strong Roots: A wide and deep root system anchors the tree firmly into the ground to stop it from tipping over.
• Group Support: Trees growing close together in groves or forests share the wind force and can block gusts for each other. Their roots also interlock underground to add extra stability. 
• Shedding Branches: Some trees drop weak or extra branches to let wind pass through the canopy more easily.

This became such a beautiful picture of the life of a Christian. In life, there will be times of ‘streamlining’. We must learn to be flexible in some of the storms of life. We can get so bent on things being ‘just so’, and in those times, if we don’t learn to be flexible, we will find ourselves broken in the storm.

There are other storms that require us to be firmly rooted in the truth of what we know; otherwise, our little boat will be so tossed about by the winds and the rain, we may feel that there is no way to repair what has been broken. No matter how battered our boat of life becomes, as long as we are grounded in Christ, our sure and steady anchor, we can have hope that there is peace after the storm.

The third tree survival method brought tears of comfort to my eyes-the trees grow so tightly together that the storms are unable to shake them. Regardless of what that looks like to you, it’s important to find those people in life who are willing to block the harshest gusts that come.  It is a good reminder for us that we were never meant to walk this road alone.

The last group, shedding branches, is more a picture of letting go of the sins that so easily beset us. Storms come and the winds blow to clean out those things that prevent us from becoming more like Christ.

Friend, whatever your suffering may look like, the answer is always Christ. Run to the shelter of His arms where your heart can rise above the storm.

Establish my heart where floods have no power to overwhelm. -Elisabeth Elliot